


The Drifter

by bjfic_archivist



Category: Queer as Folk (US)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-08-22
Updated: 2006-07-04
Packaged: 2018-12-27 13:32:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12082044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bjfic_archivist/pseuds/bjfic_archivist
Summary: Plot bunny from Gina at qaffanfictionprojects Yahoo Group.  This story is completely AU. Brian is a drifter who has been drifting from town to town and job to job for about a year. He and Justin meet at a local diner in Justin's small town suburb.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Note from IrishCaelan, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Brian/Justin Fanfiction Archive](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Brian_Justin_Fanfiction_Archive). To preserve the archive, I began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in September 2017. I posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [The Brian/Justin Fanfiction Archive collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/bjfic/profile).

Justin drives in the slight, drizzling early spring rain and stops by his favorite seedy diner to pick up a quick meal after work. His father convinced him a few months ago that a part-time job would build character and look good on a college application. All it had proceeded to do was destroy Justin's faith in humanity. He knew that there were worse jobs than working with the public, but he still believed that none sapped the optimism out of you faster than customer service. 

The diner isn't very flashy; no custom decor, but Justin admires its...authenticity. All kinds of shady characters are draped over the counters and booths waiting for their meals. Justin usually parks his family's Mercedes in an out of the way spot, so as not to draw attention to his family's wealth. Most of the regulars knew his secret status as rich boy. Ida, the waitress who has waited on him for the past three years, knows him well too. It's not that he hides his money, but he doesn't flaunt it to cause problems either. Justin has found that it's a very fine line to walk.

Ida begins to walk toward him as Justin sits down next to a tall, scruffy looking guy whom he has never seen before. Justin notices that the man's bag is occupying the seat to his left, so Justin sits to the man's right. The diner attracts a lot of highway traffic, so the new face doesn't surprise Justin. Ida smiles at him generously.

"What'll it be, Justin?"

"The usual, Ida."

Ida scribbles his usual order down on her pad and walks to make Justin his usual drink-a vanilla milkshake. Justin realizes that the scruffy man next to him has swiveled around on his stool to face Justin. A smile comes immediately to Justin's face, as he finally notices his counter mate's disheveled good looks. 

"I've never been able to say that-'my usual'." Justin turns toward the man to face him. "Guess I would have to stay in one place long enough to have a usual."

"That's usually how it works." Justin smiles broadly at the man and offers his hand. "I'm Justin. Nice to meet you."

"Brian. Nice to meet you too." Brian gives his hand a firm shake. 

Justin takes in Brian's features. He notices the large, hazel eyes, the strong, broad nose, the raspberry red lips, the straggly beginnings of a beard and moustache. Brian is dressed in faded jeans that Justin can tell are honestly faded and worn during hard work, not just as a fashion statement. It is a warm, rainy night, and Brian is wearing a black wife-beater that clings to his body. He's wearing a baseball cap with stray hair sticking out the sides. Justin can't quite tell in this light what color his hair is-brown, red, and blond streaks stuck out equally from the edges of Brian's plain black, faded cap. 

"So what's your usual?" Brian asks looking back at Justin.

Justin misses a beat, realizing that he has been staring too long at Brian's full lips. "Uhhh...a cheeseburger, fries and vanilla milkshake."

"Sounds delicious."

"No," Justin says collecting himself. "The apple pie that comes later; that's delicious."

Brian smiles easily at Justin. "Maybe I'll try a piece myself."

At that moment, Ida places Justin's completed milkshake on the counter in front of him. "Thanks, Ida."

"You're welcome." Ida sticks around for a few minutes to talk with Justin. She had noticed that stranger talking to Justin, and she wanted to make sure that Justin was all right with that. "Rainy night tonight."

Justin smiles at Ida's attempts to hide her concern. "Yeah, it's not raining hard, though. Just enough to make me turn the wipers on. Don't worry."

Reassured that Justin is fine, Ida marvels at the kid's perceptiveness. _He can always tell when I'm worried about him,_ Ida thought. _He's such a good kid._ Ida turns toward the stranger. "Can I get you anything else, sir?"

Brian smirks. The crooked grin doesn't escape Justin's observant eyes. "I heard a rumor that you have great apple pie."

"The rumors are all true. Do you want vanilla ice cream on that?

"Sounds good."

Ida walks away. "Your order is coming up, Justin."

"No rush, Ida."

"Mind if I smoke?" Brian asks.

"Nope, go ahead."

"Thanks." Brian digs into the side pocket of his large duffel bag and pulls out a pack of Marlboro cigarettes. He offers one to Justin who shakes his head to refuse.

Justin watches as Brian deftly extracts and lights a cigarette. If there is ever a reason to take up smoking, Justin can see it as he observed Brian. This man is made for cigarette ads. He casually rolls the cigarette between his fingers, sucks in and slowly lets out thick clouds of the smoke. The smoke tries to escape Brian's mouth, but his lips relentlessly chase and reel it back in each time. Justin continues to watch as Brian reaches for his coffee cup, cigarette still stuck in his fingers. He takes a sip, places the cup back on the dirty saucer, and leans his chin on his thumb, bringing the thumb up under his bottom lip to rest on his developing soul patch and casually scratches it. Brian is all cool and comfortable aloofness. Justin has never seen someone so comfortable within himself.

Brian takes that moment to turn to Justin. He doesn't seem to be put off or uncomfortable in Justin's gaze. He simply looks back with half-lidded yes. The smoke lazily curls around his fingers, nose and baseball cap as he pulls another drag into his lungs. Slowly letting it out, careful to blow it away from Justin, he smiles. 

"You sure you don't want a cigarette? You're looking at me like a ex-con just out of jail looks at a beautiful woman."

Justin blushes furiously, but laughs at Brian. "Interesting analogy..."

"I got a million of 'em." Brian pushes the pack across the counter toward Justin's hand. "You should never deny yourself something you crave."

"I've never smoked in my life, actually." Justin pushes the pack back toward Brian. "You just looked like the best cigarette ad I've ever seen. It made me seriously consider taking up the habit."

Brian's unguarded smile brightens the otherwise dark and small diner. "Of smoking or looking at me?" he asks quietly.

Justin awkwardly sits with his mouth working to form an answer, until Ida interrupts with Brian's apple pie. Brian turns from Justin's blue eyes to Ida's brown ones. "Thank you, Ida. It looks good enough to eat."

"Do you want more coffee?"

Brian nods his head. "Please."

Ida comes back seconds later with coffee and Justin's dinner. Justin nervously arranges his silverware and napkin, deciding that fidgeting is better than trying to answer Brian's question, which Justin is hoping Brian will forget. Justin knows that he was gay, has known for quite some time, but that doesn't mean he should be so obviously ogling this stranger. Even though he gets nothing but peaceful vibes from Brian, he knows how risky it was to try to flirt with a stranger, a straight stranger, in a small town diner like this one. He'll have to be more careful. He has to remind himself that he isn't on Liberty Avenue tonight. His friends had surprised him last weekend by driving him to the famed Pittsburgh gay community an hour away from their cozy Pennsylvanian suburb. He had had an amazing night enjoying a freedom that he had never experienced when it came to his sexuality. Justin knows he's lucky that his straight friends were so supportive and accepting of his sexuality. He'll have to be a bit more guarded around Brian. He doesn't want to put Brian or himself in an awkward position. 

Brian is scraping up the crumbly remnants of his pie with his fork. He reaches for his pack of cigarettes and pulls one out. He realizes that he has probably frightened the kid by being a bit too forward. Brian is sure that his gaydar is not off on this one, but Justin is quite young and probably very guarding living in a small town like this one. Brian isn't even reasonably sure what town he is in, since he has been moving around so much this past year, constantly moving with the good weather. Brian turns his cigarette over and over while he reminds himself that he's far from the free will of Liberty Avenue. As Brian finally lights his cigarette, he notices out of the corner of his eye that Justin is watching him again. 

Not wanting to embarrass Justin again by calling attention to his fascination with Brian, he says without turning, "That was good pie." He sees Justin quickly turn away to camouflage his interest, so he swivels himself to face Justin. "Thanks for suggesting it."

Justin smiles and catches Brian's eyes. "You're welcome." Brian's watching gaze makes Justin turn up the wattage on his smile.

"Whoa, you better put that smile away. You'll blind someone," Brian says playfully. "Because if I belong in a cigarette ad, you must belong in a toothpaste commercial."

Justin relaxes once Brian starts joking and teasing. He is sure that Brian has forgotten about the question he had asked. They both continue to amiably banter as Justin finishes up his dinner.

"So...what do people do around here for fun?" Brian asks.

"Not much during the winter, but now that it's warming up, there should be some good parties going on soon. Other than driving an hour to Pittsburgh, there's not much else to do. I can't wait for graduation and then summer!"

"Ah, graduating high school this year?"

"Yep. How about you?" Justin can tell that Brian is at least college age, but he can't really fix the man's age. 

Brian clears his throat and extinguishes his third cigarette in the ashtray. "I, uh...I graduated last year from UPENN."

"I applied there, but I haven't heard yet. It's a great school, I hear."

"It is. I enjoyed my time there."

"What did you major in?"

"English Lit was my major. Minor in advertising." Brian reaches for the last sip of his coffee and asks, "How about you? What do you want to major in?"

"I'm an artist, so something in fine arts. I took a few introductory classes at PIFA this year just to get a head start."

"That explains it. You're an artist."

"What do you mean?" Justin asks a little worried that he's been too obvious again.

"The way you were looking at me earlier. You were just contemplating which colors you would use to paint my purdy eyes!!" Brian's mirthful laugh puts Justin at ease. 

"Well, now I know why you look like a cigarette ad with that minor in advertising!"

They are both laughing hysterically as Ida brings Justin his piece of apple pie. "You two are getting along well. Do you need anything else tonight?"

Brian is enjoying Justin's company so much that he is disappointed to realize that Justin only has a crumb left of his apple pie and a few sips of his milkshake. _Oh, well. Time to get down to business._

"Actually, Ida, I do need one more thing." Ida eyes Brian expectantly. "I need a job. Do you know of anywhere in town that needs some help?"

"What kind of work did you have in mind?" Ida asks.

"Well, I've done landscaping, a bit of carpentry, anything with my hands, really."

Justin's ears perk up. "My parents are looking for someone like that, actually. My mother was going to put an ad in the paper. I could put in a good word for you."

From the longing looks that Justin has been giving him, Brian isn't sure if working for the kid's family was such a good idea. _But, hey, it's a job._

Justin mistakes Brian's contemplations as disinterest. "It was just an idea..."

"I was just thinking how lucky I was to run into you." Brian's comments, making Justin blush. "Good conversation and the perfect job. When do you think I could meet them?"

"Hang on. I'll give them a call right now. They're probably still up." Justin pulls out his cell phone and presses the key for home. "I'll be right back," Justin says as he moves to a quieter corner of the diner. After Justin has heard a thousand admonitions from his mother about talking to strangers, Justin makes an appointment for Brian to meet his parents the following afternoon. 

"It's all set. You can come meet them early tomorrow afternoon."

"Great. I'll be there for one. Thanks a lot, Justin. I appreciate it."

"No problem."

"Now, where's your house?"

"Oh, yeah," Justin says. "That would help." Justin asks for something to write on, and Brian pulls a big yellow pad from his bag. "Jesus Christ! Do you live in that bag?"

"Just about."

Justin, ever the artist, maps out the route to his house, complete with fully rendered landmarks. He also gives Brian his phone number in case he gets lost along the way. 

"How could I get lost with such a fine drawing to lead the way?"

Brian and Justin both laugh. "Well, I have to get home, Brian. Do you need a ride home, or something?"

Brian looks down at his feet for a few seconds. "Nah, I'm right down the street. Thanks anyway."

"All right. I'll see you tomorrow then." He leaves twenty dollars on the counter and waves in Ida's direction, "Good night, Ida!!"

"Night," Ida replies, returning Justin's wave.

Brian watches Justin leave the diner and then approaches Ida with Justin's map. "How far is it from here to...there?" he says, pointing out Justin's house on the map.

"It's about a ten minute ride." Ida studies Brian's face, takes in the large bag and realizes that Brian probably doesn't have a car and needs to know how far of a walk it is. "About a five mile walk, not many hills. You could probably get there in about an hour."

Brian appreciates Ida perceptiveness. He hates having to explain his car-free existence to anyone. "Thanks, Ida. I'll probably be in for breakfast, so save me a seat." Ida laughs and offers Brian one more cup of coffee. "Make it to go, and we have a deal."

Outside the brightly lit diner, Justin gets into his car. His mind is still on the beautiful and sexy man he has just met. Justin's mind barely registers, as he drives toward home, that the street is lined with trees. No boarding houses, no motels. _I wonder where Brian is staying?_ Justin shrugs and turns up the radio a bit.

Brian smiles as he realizes that Ida 'forgot' to add on the charge for his slice of apple pie. He leaves her a good tip and carries his bag and coffee out of the diner. Brian pulls his leather jacket out of his bag when he realizes that it has gotten much colder since he entered the diner at sundown. _At least it stopped raining._ Brian starts to walk toward the heavily wooded area next to the diner. As he walks for a few minutes, he comes to a path in the woods. He turns right onto the path until he comes to a small clearing. _This looks like as good a place as any._ Brian opens his bag and shakes out his sleeping bag and the tarp he uses for shelter.


	2. Chapter Two

Brian starts out his day in much the same way as he ended the last: at the diner, but this time for breakfast. It's noon when he sets out on his journey to Justin's house. It's perfect walking weather. The trees have just sprouted their first signs of green leaves because of the rain from last night, and Brian is enjoying that cool, crisp and earthy smell that only happens in early spring. He grins whenever he walks past one of Justin's drawn landmarks. After about forty minutes of walking and increasingly more expensive houses, he comes to Longbridge Lane, which is Justin's street according to his map. Only a few more houses to go, and Brian will be there. 

As Brian walks up to the gate, he is starting to hope that the grounds aren't too much for him to handle. The house is enormous. From the gate, he can see the front of the house, a large flowering tree and a huge garage to the left. There is a dark blue Mercedes and a black BMW parked in the gravel driveway. Brian presses the button for the gate, and a few moments later, he hears Justin's voice say, "Come in." The gate begins to open slowly. Brian takes a deep breath and walks toward the tree and the front of the house. Brian stops at the tree and leaves his bag there. He doesn't want to walk in carrying everything he owns. He barely knocks on the door, before it quickly swings open. 

Justin is standing in the doorway with his best toothpaste smile. Directly behind him are, Brian assumes, Justin's parents. They are both blond and depressingly middle-aged. They have the exact same toothpaste grin plastered on their faces. It's all a bit too _Leave It to Beaver_ for Brian's tastes, but they don't seem maliciously happy. 

"Hey," Justin says. "Did you find it all right?"

"Yep, your map was perfect."

"Good." Justin moves to allow Brian inside. "These are my parents."

The blond woman extends her hand. "I'm Jennifer Taylor, and this is my husband, Craig."

"Brian Kinney. Nice to meet you both," Brian says as he shakes their hands.

Jennifer leads Craig and Brian into a nicely decorated formal living room. Following a relaxed, twenty minute conversation with the Taylors, Brian feels slightly ashamed that he thought of them as 'depressingly middle-aged'. They explain all of Brian's expected duties carefully. He will be expected to keep up the yard, not including the various gardens that Mrs. Taylor will tend to personally, fix small problems around the house, keep up the outdoor and indoor swimming pools, and some possible light carpentry. They decide to leave the terms a bit undefined, because this was their first foray into having a handyman in their employ.

"I don't know if you're interested, but," she glances at her husband, "we have a guesthouse over the garage that we could let you stay in as part of your pay. I'm not sure where you're staying now, but do you think you'd be interested?"

Brian thinks of his current living situation and answers, "Yeah, that sounds great."

The Taylors assure Brian that he will have all the privacy he needs, but can choose to share meals and the laundry room with the Taylors whenever he needs to. The Taylors provide him with his own keys to the guesthouse, keys for the main house and the gate code. They talk at length about the finer details of sharing some amenities with him. He feels more and more fortunate about meeting Justin in the diner last night. This is a dream job for him, and the people are completely generous and gracious. 

"Justin can show you the guesthouse now if you'd like to see it. And when you're settled, he can show you around the house too."

"That would be great. Thank you so much."

Jennifer's heart warms as she sees the blatantly grateful look on Brian's face. Last night Justin had finally realized that Brian was probably without a roof over his head, so he had shared his fears about it with his parents the following morning. They had that Brian could stay in the guesthouse if the Taylors approved of his looks. 

Justin must have been within earshot, since he comes bounding into the room as soon as his name is mentioned. Brian only has enough time to give the Taylors a quick handshake, before Justin pulls him out of the room. 

"You ready for the grand tour?" Justin asks over his shoulder, watching Brian trail behind him.

"Of course." 

Justin leads him through the rooms on the first floor: the den, laundry room, the indoor poolroom, dining room, two bathrooms, and the kitchen. In the kitchen, he introduces Brian to the maid, Linda, who is preparing dinner. 

"Hey, Linda," Justin says, picking a piece of sliced mushroom from Linda's cutting board. Linda playfully swats his hand away. "This is Brian. He's our new handyman."

"Nice to meet you, Brian." 

"Good to meet you," Brian responds. 

Justin grabs another mushroom and says to Brian, "C'mon. I'll show you to your room."

"Dinner's at 6 o'clock, sharp!" Linda shouts after them.

Brian follows Justin out the side door and into the driveway. Running around the front of the house, Brian grabs his duffel bag. Justin waits for him to catch up before climbing the wooden staircase to the guesthouse above the garage. Justin walks ahead of Brian on the stairs, and he is slightly mesmerized by the gentle sway of Justin's hips as he climbs. As they near the landing, Brian remembers the keys that the Taylors gave to him, so he tears his eyes away from the firm ass and pulls them out of his pocket. He finds the key labeled "guesthouse" and pushes past Justin to unlock the door. It's a small landing, and Brian barely squeezes his way past Justin, but neither one seems to mind.

Justin, feeling his face warm a bit after being so close to Brian, follows him into the spacious room. Brian is overwhelmed by the size of the room. He can't believe that the Taylors are only taking twenty-five dollars a week out of his pay for this room.

"Mostly my uncle is the one that stays here when he comes to visit. My mom cleaned it out this morning, so if you find any of my uncle's stuff, just let me know. I think she got everything."

Brian walks over to the bed and sits down. He sinks into a mattress that can only be made of clouds. This is probably the nicest place he's stayed in sinceï¿½since ever. He flops over and lies down with his feet still on the floor. Brian forgets that he is there until Justin says, "Comfy, huh?"

"Oh, my god, you have no idea."

Justin walks over and flops down next to Brian. "Actually, I think I do. Did you know that there are no boardinghouses, hotels, motels, youth hostels, nowhere to stay anywhere near that diner we were in last night?"

"No kidding?" Brian says, less as a question than it is a statement of fact. He turns away from Justin's very blue eyes.

"No kidding," Justin says. "Soï¿½where did you stay last night?"

Brian continues to stare at the ceiling for a long time. Justin can clearly see that Brian is a bit embarrassed, and maybe a little angry, about his own situation. He decides to back off, before things got more uncomfortable. 

"I slept in the woods, on the soggy ground," Brian says quietly.

"I'm sorry. If I had known, I would have brought you home or somethingï¿½"

Brian can see the pity in Justin's eyes and he can't stand it. "Or something? What would you have done?" he asks. Without letting Justin answer, he continues, feeling more and more bitter. "Brought me home to mommy and daddy? Asked if you could keep me?" Brian jumps up off the bed and begins pacing in front of a bewildered Justin. "I don't need your pity, rich boy! I just need this job and this roof over my head. Nothing else from you!" Brian turns his back on Justin.

"Iï¿½I'm sorry, Brianï¿½I," Justin stammers.

"Sorry's bullshit," Brian says venomously, his back still turned.

Justin rushes out of the room and flies down the stairs. Brian watches from the window as Justin opens a gate and runs into the backyard.

"FUCK!" Brian exclaims. He rakes his fingers through his hair and wonders what to do next.

Not meaning to hurt Justin, and not thinking too hard about why he does, he quickly follows after him into the backyard. Justin is sitting on a stone bench next to the enormous pool that is still covered for the winter. He is facing away from Brian with his arms hugging his legs, pulling them up. Brian notices the gentle shaking of Justin's shoulders and knows that he is crying. He watches for a few moments, a bit unsure of what his next move should be. 

Still unsure, he begins to approach Justin. He sees Justin wiping his eyes as he draws near. "Justinï¿½?"

"What?" Justin says miserably.

Brian sits down on the bench behind Justin's hunched back. "I shouldn't have said any of that. I was angry, but you didn't deserve that."

"I thought we were friends, Brian. Becoming really good friends."

"I think so too. I was taking out my frustrations on you. And it was wrong."

Justin finally turns toward Brian, his eyes ringed red and his long lashes damp from his tears. "Well, if you get that frustrated again, talk to me. I'm here for you."

Brian smiles and feels his heart warmed by Justin's honesty and genuine compassion. Somehow he knows that Justin is truly offering his help and understanding. Looking back, Brian realizes that this young man may be the friend and confidant he's always needed and perhaps the family he's never had. Overwhelmed by his feelings, Brian wraps his arms around Justin. He feels tears well up in his eyes, as he understands what it feels like to accept someone into his heart. He kisses Justin's damp forehead as they part. He leaves his arm loosely draped over Justin's shoulders, and they sit quietly in the weaning sun of late afternoon.

Brian thinks about his gruesome childhood in Pittsburgh. All of the beatings that his father gave him, the times that he held back his tears, so his father wouldn't know how much he hurt inside. He marvels that it is the smallest gesture of kindness from a stranger that makes the tears come, because he is always prepared for the cruel looks and the belligerent comments, but he never expects the benevolent side of humanity to show itself to him. 

"Soï¿½this is the backyard, then?" Brian laughs.

"Yep."

"I think you're supposed to be showing me around."

"Yeah. Let's go," Justin says, rising from the bench. "We have about an hour until dinner," he says glancing at his watch.

"OK, let's hurry. I want to take a shower before dinner."

Justin and Brian return to the guesthouse in time for Brian to get into the shower. Justin lingers as Brian takes off his shoes and shirt. Brian's chest is lightly muscled and tanned. Justin unconsciously licks his lips at the sight of Brian stripping off his clothes.

"Uh, OK. I'll go, and I'll see you for dinner."

"Meet me here at five of. We'll walk in together. I still feel a little weird just walking into your house."

"Sure." Justin scurries out the door as Brian begins to unzip his jeans.

Justin rushes through his preparations for dinner. He brushes his teeth while examining his reflection in the bathroom mirror. His teeth brushed, he takes one last look and brushes back his longish hair. Satisfied with the final product, he looks at his watch and heads for the guesthouse. 

He knocks on Brian's door a few minutes early. 

"Come in," he hears from inside.

He enters the guesthouse to find Brian putting on a black, short-sleeve, pinstripe button-up shirt. He is already wearing dark blue jeans but is still barefoot. 

"How do I look?" Brian asks nervously.

"You look great." Justin grins like an idiot, he is sure, as he takes in every inch of Brian.

Brian hurries around the room collecting socks, shoes and towels. He drops the socks and shoes next to the bed and then takes the towel to his still damp hair and tousles it dry. He dashes into the bathroom to finger brush his hair into some sort of neatness. 

"OK," Brian proclaims, "I'm ready."

Justin's parents keep a light conversation flowing as they all eat. Not wanting to sound like they are interrogating Brian, they ask few personal questions, even though they are very curious about his story. 

Jennifer notices Brian's tanned arms and asks, "Where did you get a tan this time of year?"

"I was in Georgia doing construction before I made my way up here. The sun there is brutal even in the winter."

"Georgia is so beautiful. I have some family down there that I used to visit every winter when I was younger."

"Yeah, it's a beautiful state. I loved it there, but summers are too hot. I had to come back north."

"Well, lucky for us that you did," Craig adds. 

Brian, Craig and Jennifer continue talking mostly about some of the projects around the house that they hope to finish by the end of the summer. By the sound of it, Brian will be very busy this summer.

"So, are you going out tonight, Justin?" his mother asks.

"Yeah. Daphne is having a few people at her house tonight. Her parents are out of town, as usual, and you know how she hates to be in that big house by herself."

"Just be careful."

"I'm always careful, Mom."

Brian watches the casual family banter with a touch of envy. He has never had someone caring where he was every night. As long as he wasn't in his father's way, no one cared.

Justin notices the sad look on Brian's face, and decides to ask Brian if he would like to go out tonight.

"Uh, as long as your friends won't mind."

"Daphne's cool. You'll like her."

They stop at the guesthouse before leaving for Daphne's house. Brian heads into the bathroom. Justin sits on the bed and looks around the room. He sees the contents of Brian's duffel bag, which are now scattered, about the room. Saddened, he can't imagine having his only worldly possessions fit into a duffle bag.


	3. Chapter Three

"God, I need a fucking cigarette so bad," Brian says as he comes out of the bathroom with a cigarette dangling from his mouth.  
  
Justin wonders why he didn't notice until now the absence of the constant smoke that had surrounded the man when they had met at the diner. "Yeah, what happened? You were chain-smoking yesterday."  
  
"I didn't want to offend your parents." Brian moves across the room to get his jacket. The night has cooled at least ten degrees since sundown. "I noticed that there's a decent stretch of roof out that window," Brian points to the peaked roof that faces the main house, "so I will probably be spending a lot of time out there smoking. I don't want to stink up this room."  
  
"My mom will be happy about that."  
  
Brian lights his cigarette as they exit the guesthouse door. They walk down the stairs and head toward the Mercedes, which looks black in the dark.  
  
"This is your car?"  
  
"Well, no. I share it with my mom, but she doesn't drive much."  
  
Brian is quiet while he finishes smoking his cigarette. He extinguishes it on the bottom of his shoe and puts it into his pocket. He notices Justin looking at him strangely, so he explains, "If it's my responsibility to keep the grounds looking nice, I'm not going to throw cigarette butts all around."  
  
Brian twirls a fresh cigarette between his fingers during the quick five-minute drive from Justin's to Daphne's house. He has the cigarette ready to light as soon as they pull up to her front door.  
  
Justin stays near the car with Brian to wait for him to smoke his cigarette. "How long have you smoked?"  
  
Brian exhales his drag into the air above his head. "Since I was about sixteen. Soï¿½" Brian calculates, "about seven years."  
  
"I've smoked pot, but that's about it."  
  
"That's good. It's a filthy habit. I started out smoking the butts in my dad's ashtray."  
  
"Gross!"  
  
Brian laughs. "Yeah, now that I think about it. Now I can't even smell that brand of smoke without getting nauseous."  
  
"It's weird. I know you smoke, but I can't smell it on you." Justin shrugs.  
  
Brian puts out the cigarette and shoves it into his pocket with the other butt. "You ready?"  
  
"Your pockets are going to be full if you keep that up."  
  
"I'm hoping there's an ashtray inside."  
  
"There will be. Most of my friends are potheads." Justin walks in the direction of Daphne's front door. "Do you smoke pot?"  
  
"Yeah. I get along with potheads very well."  
  
"Good." Justin rings the doorbell. A smiling teenage girl, who can only be Daphne, answers. She is petite and seems bubbly. She hugs Justin and drags him inside, never registering Brian's presence.  
  
Brian glances around nervously at the foyer's furnishings. Much like the Taylor home, Daphne's house is tastefully decorated, but accented with darker woods and brighter colors. Following a stream of quick conversation between Daphne and Justin, she finally locks eyes with the stranger.  
  
"Oh, my god! I'm so sorry. I didn't know Justin was bringing someone." She offers her hand to Brian, who shakes it politely. "I'm Daphne."  
  
"Brian. Nice to meet you. I hope you don't mind."  
  
"Of course not, especially not such a gorgeous creature as yourself. Where did you find him, Justin?"  
  
"At the diner," Justin replies uneasily.  
  
"You still go to that greasy spoon?"  
  
"Absolutely. Best apple pie in town."  
  
"If you say soï¿½" Daphne shrugs. "Well, come on in. Everyone's in the living room."  
  
Justin leads Brian into the foyer and down a hallway, which leads to a large, open room. There is an expansive sofa with four teenagers sprawled upon it, a gigantic flat screen TV, and a vast entertainment system. Along the back wall, there are multiple sliding doors and windows that appear to lead to a deck. The windows and doors are wide open, and there is a deliciously cool breeze blowing in. Even with all that ventilation, Brian can still smell the lingering odor of pot smoke.  
  
Daphne comes up behind Brian to introduce him to her four friends on the couch. Brian, having an excellent mind for names, commits each name to his memory. He meets Tim, Sophia, Jaime, and Brad, who immediately offer him the next bong hit. Justin sits himself down next to Brian, which makes him the next in line for the bong.  
  
Things and events quickly degenerate to fits of laughter, loud music and an array of munchies. Justin has left Brian's side to dance with Daphne in front of the TV. Between hits from various bongs, pipes and blunts, Brian watches Justin swiveling and swaying to the slow and bluesy, hip-hop beat. With the marijuana haze clouding his mind, he is unable to focus on anything but the slow grind of Justin and Daphne's dancing. He recognizes their dancing as the entirely platonic, yet utterly sexual and tantalizing, gyrating of two people who have been friends for so long that they are completely comfortable with the other's bodies.  
  
Sweaty and panting, Justin and Daphne soon collapse back onto the couch with their friends. Brian can feel the heat radiating from Justin's leg, which is pressing against his.  
  
"You guys are great dancers," Brian comments.  
  
"Thanks," Justin responds. "We've been dancing since we were little kids in elementary school."  
  
"You should get up and dance with us!" Daphne exclaims. At his look of reluctance, she says, "C'mon. It'll be fun!" and prods him into action, practically dragging him off the couch.  
  
"I don't really dance that well," he protests to no avail.  
  
"Don't worry. Justin will teach you. Won't you, Justin?" she says winking at Justin.  
  
"Uh, of courseï¿½yeah," he stammers. He gives Brian some basic guidance on how to move his hips and arms to the beat.  
  
"Just watch Justin's hips, Brian. You'll get it."  
  
Honestly, Brian's eyes have not left Justin's lithe body, and Daphne has noticed. She watches Brian lick his lips seductively before mumbling, "Uh huh."  
  
"That's it," Daphne coaxes. Brian and Justin seem to be getting closer and closer as they continue to dance. Daphne is a little disappointed that Brian appears to be interested in her best friend, but her happiness for Justin far outweighs her jealousy. Brian is hot, but Brian _and_ Justin together is pure sex appeal. She can't help but wonder if Justin even realizes how appealing the two men look together: Brian, dark and catlike, and Justin, all sunshine and light. Justin is so involved in the music that he doesn't even seem to register that Brian is so close.  
  
Tim interrupts their dancing by tapping Justin on the shoulder and pushing a blunt under his nose.  
  
"Um, no thanks. I have to drive."  
  
"OK. How about you?" he asks offering the blunt to Brian.  
  
"Sure." He pulls the blunt toward himself and takes a long drag. He hasn't smoked pot like this in a long time. Most of the stuff he had smoked in Georgia wasn't this good. The people he had smoked with in Georgia were construction workers like him who couldn't always afford the good stuff. He can now feel an incredible all over body buzz from the weed. He knew he was high as soon as he started to enjoy dancing. Or maybe it was just that Justin was so close to him.  
  
Justin stands in front of Brian to get his attention. "We have to go soon. My curfew is 1:00."  
  
Brian exhales a storm cloud of smoke at Justin. "Whenever you're ready." He laughs as he watches the blue wisps twirl in the air between Justin and him.  
  
Justin shakes his head and snorts, "You are soooo stoned!"  
  
"I know," Brian half-smirks. "And now you get to drive me home! I like having a designated driver."  
  
"Let's stand outside before we get in the car. We both reek of weed."  
  
Brian grabs his almost empty beer and follows Justin outside with his half-smirk still in place. He looks around the deck that seems to wrap around the entire house. "Wow. Are all your friends rich?"  
  
Justin, feeling uncomfortable about the turn of the conversation, answers carefully. "We all go to the same school," he explains. "The only times I meet people who are not from this neighborhood are at work and at the diner." He pauses quickly before adding, "I've met some great cool people at the diner."  
  
"Yeah," Brian says reaching for a cigarette, "Ida's really cool."  
  
"I meant you, asshole." Justin pushes Brian's shoulder playfully.  
  
"Watch out. You'll break my cigarette!"  
  
They both smile widely at each other. Brian's smile fades. "I'm glad I met you." He looks away to light his cigarette. "Not just because of the job." Brian raises his eyes to meet Justin's. "You're a good person, Justin Taylor."  
  
Touched by Brian's kind words, Justin braves a quick hug. It's awkward for a second as Brian adjusts to the show of warmth that has always been lacking in his life. He leans against Justin's smaller body, inhaling the scent of his golden hair, and kisses the top of Justin's head affectionately.  
  
Justin's feels his heartbeat speeding away and realizes that his quick hug has turned into something more for him. Not wanting Brian to suspect anything about his sexuality, he pulls away. Justin catches sight of Brian as they separate and swears for a second that he sees something of his own feelings mirrored in Brian's face. Whatever he saw, Brian hides it too quickly for Justin to consider what it might mean. _Must have been the pot,_ Justin reasons.  
  
"Let's go. I have ten minutes to get home."  
  
Justin follows him back into the house to say goodbye to everyone. Daphne finally lets them leave after Justin promises to bring Brian back again. Daphne cannot wait to get Justin alone tomorrow to interrogate him about Brian. She knows that she hasn't imagined the longing looks that Brian was giving Justin.  
  
Brian collapses into the passenger's seat of the Mercedes. He reflects on everything that has happened today. He has gone from sleeping in the woods to living in a posh guesthouse. As Brian wonders why someone would be so nice to him, he gazes at his benefactor as he drives them both home. The gentle swaying ride soon rocks him to sleep. He's somewhere between sleep and awake when his mind wanders. He replays scenes in his head of Justin and Daphne dancing. That scene moves into one where he's dancing with Justin, close and grinding against each other. His dick begins to get hard, and he sighs and shifts in his sleep.  
  
Justin looks over at Brian when he hears his contented sigh. _I can't believe he fell asleep during a five-minute drive! He must be exhausted._ It has been a busy day for both of them, and Justin is starting to feel his own weariness creep into his mind and body. Justin is relieved to see his front gate. He pushes the button to open the gate and drives in.  
  
Brian doesn't hear Justin's first few attempts to wake him. Justin softly calling his name becomes worked into this half-dream he's having. His hands are roaming all over Justin's body as they continue to dance.  
  
"Brian?" Justin calls quietly. He has now moved around to the passenger's side to try to wake Brian. For just a five-minute ride, he is sure knocked out! Justin leans in closer to Brian until his lips are close to his ear. "Brian?" he says again.  
  
"Mmmï¿½Justinï¿½," Brian moans. Brian's eyes finally flutter open, and he is rewarded with a blinding smile from Justin. Brian half-reaches his hand out to touch Justin's face, to kiss him. All at once, he remembers where he is, what he's doing, or rather what he should _not_ be doing, and pulls his hand away before making contact.  
  
Brian looks up to see Justin studying him intently. "You OK?"  
  
"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine," Brian rises from the passenger's seat and reaches for a cigarette. "Sorry, I guess that pot really knocked me out."  
  
"We've both had a busy day."  
  
"Yeah." Brian fishes out his lighter and ignites the end of a cigarette. "I am fuckin' bushed!" Brian yawns loudly stretching his long frame to its limit. He reaches around to close the car door.  
  
"I bet you can't wait to get to that bed."  
  
Brian turns and stops his first drag halfway questioning whether Justin suspects anything or not. Assuming that he meant it as an innocent comment on his previous accommodations in the woods, he smirks and laughs. "Yeah, a real bed."  
  
Glancing at his watch, "I have to go in now," Justin announces. "Have a good night. Sweet dreams."  
  
"Thanks, you too," Brian responds. Brian has no doubts as to who will be the star of his own sweet dreams. Brian adjusts his growing erection while he watches Justin's pert ass as he walks away into the house. Justin gives a wave from the door just as he closes it.  
  
Brian stands in the driveway for a few moments, finishing his cigarette and lighting another. He slowly walks up the stairs to the guesthouse and lets himself in. He sets his keys on the table nearest the door and swiftly heads for the front window. He opens the window, pushes up the screen, and climbs out onto a small piece of the garage's roof. He had scoped this spot out earlier while he was taking his shower before dinner.  
  
From his perch, he gazes out toward the house. He sees a dim light come on in the upstairs, front bedroom closest to him. He stares as Justin paces across the spacious room. He watches Justin pull off his shirt and toss it across the room. Justin brushes back his long hair with his hands, a move that Brian has become all too aware of. Brian's conscience gets the better of him, and he turns away from watching Justin undress. _This is definitely an invasion of privacy._ Brian puts out his cigarette and stands up. As he steadies himself before climbing back through the window, he catches a glimpse of Justin in only his underwear. His eyes rake over the creamy skin on Justin's back, the shaggy blond hair, and his firm bubble butt.  
  
"Fuck," Brian mutters aloud to himself as he's ducking through the window. "This kid is gonna be the death of me."


	4. Chapter Four

Justin awakes at about ten o'clock to the sound of the lawnmower. The smell of the freshly mown grass is leaking in through his open window. Knowing what a bitch it will be when this olfactory delight becomes too much for his allergies, he quickly rises to close the window. He doesn't actually hate the smell, but he's all too familiar with the resulting misery. Justin rubs at his eyes, realizing that he was almost too late. The bright sun makes him squint as he gazes outside toward the source of the lawn mowing noise and debris.  
  
Justin watches Brian hard at work. Brian is not wearing a shirt, and Justin's sights focus on his smooth, tanned skin as the sweat glistens in the sun. Brian's arm muscles flex with every push of the small mower. Sweat drips down his torso, and disappears into his jeans. Justin wants to walk into the backyard and run his tongue in a long line from Brian's waist, along his spine, over his shoulder blade, and end in a soft bite on the tender flesh of Brian's neck. He thinks back to the taste of younger, summer days spent running around with Daphne and licking his own sweaty upper lip. Justin licks his lips absentmindedly and shudders. His mind is occupied with thoughts of all the wicked things that he wants to do to Brian. Justin smoothes his hand down his bare chest, imagining that his hand is Brian's, and sighs.  
  
Not that he has had much experience with sex. A few kisses and one blowjob on Liberty Avenue have not made him an expert by any measure. Justin has almost given up on losing his virginity before he graduates from high school. Most of his friends have already had more experience with love, sex and relationships than he has. It's not for lack of interest. Gym classes have been torturous since the seventh grade, when Justin started to react physically to half-naked boys his own age. He has been so careful not to let too much of himself show. Being constantly in the closet has considerably lessened his flirting opportunities. He's always conscious of not acting 'too gay'. _Whatever the fuck that means!_  
  
At least he has his friends that he can count on for support. Justin can't imagine the conversation that he will have to have with his parents when he decides to come out. He's run it over and over in his mind, and his imagination creates something more horrifying each time. Daphne keeps telling him not to underestimate his parents' love and understanding. It doesn't matter now anyway. Justin has already made the decision not to tell his parents until he's well into college life. Justin figures that he'll have his own life and freedom by then. Not to mention, they won't be able to kick him out of their house if he's already living on his own.  
  
Justin takes one last yearning glance at Brian before noting the time. He has a little over an hour to take a shower, eat and get to work. The beeping tune from his cell phone diverts his attention. Daphne has sent him a text message.  
  
 _"OMG BRIAN IS SOOO IN2 U!"_  
  
 _Brian? What the hell is she thinking?_ Shaking his head, he continues into the bathroom to take his shower.  
  
During the tedious twenty-minute drive to work, Justin calls Daphne's cell. He's curious about her text message from this morning.  
  
"Hey, Justin. What's up?"  
  
"Nothing. What's with that text you sent?" Justin asks.  
  
"Oh, man!! I couldn't believe the way that Brian was looking at you last night! Didn't you notice?"  
  
Justin pauses a little too long at the next stop sign. He mentally reviews last night. He danced with Brian and Daphne, but he doesn't remember Brian looking at him in any particular way. The honking horn of the truck behind him brings him back to the present. "I have no idea what you're talking about. He's straight!"  
  
"No way is he straight!" Daphne exclaims. "He was totally checking you out while you were dancing."  
  
"You're delusional, Daphne. There is no way he's gay!"  
  
"But do you know for sure that he isn't? Has he mentioned any girlfriends?"  
  
"Well," Justin thinks, "no, he hasn't."  
  
"Not at all?" Daphne prods.  
  
"Not at all. But that doesnï¿½t mean he's gay, Daph, as much as I wish he wasï¿½"  
  
"So, you do like him?"  
  
"What's not to like? He's gorgeous, he's smart, he sexy!"  
  
"Yeah, he is," Daphne says dreamily. "Too bad for me he's GAY!"  
  
Justin sighs into the phone at his friend's insistence. "You think everybody's gay!"  
  
"I was right about John Fields, wasn't I?"  
  
"Yeah, but you've been equally wrong about other people."  
  
"Right! You'll see. At our ten-year reunion, all of those guys will be out of the closet with their significant others. Then I'll be able to say that I told you so!"  
  
Justin chuckles into the phone. "You're crazy!"  
  
"I know. But I still think that I'm right."  
  
"Whatever." Justin knows that once she has an idea in her head, there's no dissuading her. It's easier just to humor her than it is to disagree.  
  
"I can tell that you're just pacifying me, Justin."  
  
"Whatever!" Justin laughs. "I'm at work. I have to go."  
  
"OK, talk to you later."  
  
"Bye."  
  
With thirty seconds to spare, Justin clocks into work at Barnes & Noble. He quickly pulls on his badge and walks out onto the floor. _Brianï¿½gay? Doubtfulï¿½but she was right about John Fields..._  
  
+++++  
  
Brian stops for lunch around one o'clock. He and Linda converse amiably about the weather, the neighborhood, and other innocuous subjects while Brian eats a turkey sandwich and potato salad.  
  
"Hi, Brian," Justin's mother says as she enters the bright kitchen.  
  
"Hi, Mrs. Taylor."  
  
"Oh, please call me Jennifer," Jennifer insists. "So how is everything going?"  
  
"Very good. I finished mowing the lawn. After lunch I want to start thinking about some landscaping projects. Will you be home, so I can get your opinion?"  
  
"I'll be here. Justin has the car until seven, so I'll be around."  
  
"OK, thanks."  
  
"Anything else?"  
  
"Um, I'll have to go over a list of things that I needï¿½you know, supplies. I'm going to need some soil, plants, maybe a few bushes here and there."  
  
"OK, I'll speak with Craig about that." Jennifer furrows her brow, "I'm sure we can work something out." She picks up an apple from the fruit bowl, takes a bite and walks out of the kitchen.  
  
"Well, Linda. Time for me to get back to work."  
  
"Dinner's at six!"  
  
"I'll be there."  
  
The remainder of the afternoon seems to fly by as Brian becomes engrossed in a few different projects. He figures that he can use the first week to get acquainted with the grounds and establish a schedule for every duty. It's going to take some delicate time management to get everything done by himself. With the large swimming pool outside still covered for the winter for at least another month, Brian only has to maintain the indoor pool while he's learning his way around. A month should be enough time to get himself settled into a schedule, and then the opening of the second pool won't be too bad.  
  
Brian is staring into the depths of the indoor pool as he cleans it. He is looking forward to this evening. The Taylors have given him unlimited access to the pools, so he's planning on taking full advantage. There is also a sauna room and hot tub that he knows will feel heavenly after a hard day of working.  
  
Brian allows his mind to drift back to last night as he mindlessly runs the vacuum over the bottom of the pool. He can't seem to get the images of Justin dancing off of his mind. He has caught himself daydreaming about kissing Justin's lips, touching his cheekï¿½his urge to touch Justin overwhelms him. He's never felt an attraction as strong as this one for anyone else before. There have been men, many men if fact, but none that he connects with like he does with Justin.  
  
Brian doesn't feel that he has any real chance with Justin anyway. Justin comes from a rich family. Brian is relatively sure that he wouldn't be willing to give that all up to be with Brian. It's a miracle to Brian that Justin appears to have turned out so well after being brought up with money. All the rich students that Brian had met at UPENN had been complete assholes who were dangerously full of themselves. During the two days they had had to get to know each other, Brian hadn't sensed even an ounce of spoiled brat in him. Brian knows that the argument they had had yesterday could be attributed more to Brian's feelings of inadequacy than to Justin's pitying remarks. From all that Brian has seen, Justin doesn't have an insincere bone in his body. _Mmmhm, his body is perfectï¿½ Fuck! I can't keep thinking about him like that. His parents have been too good to me. And he can obviously do much better than fucking the gardener!_  
  
It's around five o'clock when he begins putting things away and locking up for the night. He surveys the backyard once more to make sure everything is cleaned up. He walks slowly toward the guesthouse, pulling out a cigarette on the way. Jennifer meets him at the kitchen entrance.  
  
"Did you want to go over some of those ideas now?"  
  
"Sure, Mrs.ï¿½.uh, Jennifer." Brian steers her around the backyard, careful to keep the smoke from crossing Jennifer's path. They tour the area around the pool, and a few of the smaller gardens closer to the house. She seems to like all of his ideas and gives him a couple of ideas as well. Jennifer spends a lot of time looking out intently over the yard as Brian describes his plans. Justin obviously got some of his artistic sensibilities from Jennifer. She has an uncanny ability to space everything out visually in her mind.  
  
"That was fun!" Jennifer exclaims. "You have some great ideas, Brian. I can't wait to see it all."  
  
Brian glances down at his watch and realizes he has twenty minutes to get ready for dinner. "I have to catch a shower before dinnerï¿½"  
  
"Oh! I'm sorry I kept you."  
  
"No problem!" He jogs toward his guestroom, taking the stairs two at a time. Brian throws himself into the shower and is ready in record-setting time.  
  
Dinner is delicious, and Brian can see that the Taylors are eager to discuss some of his ideas for landscaping including discussing some of the supplies that Brian will need to begin these projects. Brian promises to write out a list by Friday, so he and Craig can pick up the supplies on the weekend. Brian, Jennifer and Craig chat affably over coffee and desert. The Taylors are such down-to-earth, nice people that it makes Brian wonder how he would have turned out with parental support such as theirs.  
  
Fishing out a cigarette from his shirt pocket, Brian makes his way up the stairs to the guesthouse and out the front window. He lights his cigarette, cupping his hand over the flame to block the chilly breeze. The sounds of crickets and other chirping creatures fill the air as Brian lies down on the slightly sloped roof. Brian has a bird's eye view of the Mercedes as Justin pulls into the driveway. Brian rolls on his side to watch him for a moment.  
  
Justin turns toward the guesthouse as he gets out of the car. He is hoping to see Brian and is not disappointed. He spies Brian, lit cigarette in hand, on top of the roof and waves to him.  
  
"Hey!" Brian shouts from the roof. "I was about to take a swim. You wanna join me?"  
  
Justin wanders in Brian's direction, so they don't have to yell at each other. "Sure. Give me a half hour to find some dinner."  
  
"OK. Half hour." Brian breaks into a huge grin as Justin trots into the house. He finishes up his cigarette and lights another. Originally, Brian had wanted to take his swim and sit in silence in that huge sauna room, but as soon as he saw Justin climb out of that car, he couldn't stop thinking about what he must look like in a bathing suit. Brian's invitation to join him for a swim had just come tumbling out of his mouth.  
  
Brian rose from his comfortable perch to go find his suit and a towel. Stripping out of his clothes for the second time today, Brian slips into his Speedo. He bought the most modest Speedo he could find, but it is still not very modest. Brian isn't unaware of his own assets. He knows from experience that men and women both find him attractive, especially wet and in a bathing suit. Brian pulls on a pair of cut off shorts, a black wife-beater and slips into his old flip-flops. Grabbing his keys from the counter, he heads out of the guesthouse toward the pool.  
  
The room is empty as he enters, so he tugs back the cover and checks the temperature. Satisfied, he takes off his flip-flops, so he can dip his feet into the pool.  
  
Brian is slightly startled when Justin yanks open the other door. "You eat fast," he comments.  
  
Justin laughs and starts toward the side of the pool where Brian is sitting. "Is it warm?"  
  
"Yeah, it's nice."  
  
Justin is already wearing swim trunks, so Brian watches from his lower vantage point as Justin removes his t-shirt. Brian's breathing quickens at the sight of Justin's pale, perfect skin. His skin looks unbelievably soft and completely touchable.  
  
"CANNONBALL!!!" Justin screams as he launches himself into the pool in a tight ball. The spray from Justin's dive splashes Brian. Justin surfaces, takes one look at a soaked Brian, and cackles loudly.  
  
"You think you're funny, huh?" Brian asks with a smile.  
  
"Absolutely!" Justin giggles and dives under the water only to surface again in a few seconds.  
  
Brian stands up and begins to strip off his shirt. His tired muscles protest as he lifts his arms above his head. Justin wipes the excess water from his eyes and watches Brian slowly remove his shirt. Brian is slightly facing away from him, so Justin has an unobstructed view of the rippling muscles in his back. He stares openly, taking in every detail of Brian's body. He has a much better view now than he had from his bedroom window this morning. _Oh, my God,_ Justin gawks. _He's wearing a fucking Speedo!_ Justin decides that life is good as Brian walks to the edge of the pool, jumps up and, for a second, his long, lean body is stretched taut in the air before he hits the water.  
  
Brian enters the water a little more gracefully than Justin did. Swimming shark-like under the water, Brian emerges directly in front of Justin. He's so close to Brian now that he can see the gold and green flecks in his eyes and the droplets of water clinging to his eyelashes and running down his nose. Justin watches Brian as his mouth stretches into a lopsided smirk.  
  
"Hey," Brian murmurs, looking unflinchingly into Justin's baby blues.  
  
"Hey," Justin replies looking away, embarrassed.  
  
"What's wrong?" Brian questions, noticing that Justin's exuberance has suddenly turned quiet.  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"You sure?"  
  
Justin nods and meets Brian's eyes, flashing him a blinding smile. "Yeah."  
  
"Good," Brian says just before splashing Justin playfully. He dives under the water before Justin can retaliate. He surfaces far away from Justin who is trying to catch up to him.  
  
"Jesus, you swim too fast. Are you a fish?"  
  
Brian scoffs. "Yep, that's my secret. I'm a fish!" he says sarcastically.  
  
"I knew it!"  
  
"No, I was on the swim team in high school and college."  
  
"Ah," Justin says with a huge grin on his face. "That explains the Speedo."  
  
"You don't like it?" Justin just shakes his head. "I've gotten many compliments."  
  
"I'm sure you have."


	5. Chapter Five

Brian and Justin splash around in the pool for about a half hour, until Brian mentions that he wants to use the sauna. Justin agrees that it's a good idea for Brian's aching muscles. He exits the pool to adjust the sauna settings, making sure that Brian won't be cooked to death inside. 

Justin walks back to the pool and says, "Give it about five minutes to heat up, and you should be all set. Make sure you don't stay in there longer than twenty minutes."

"OK. I'm going to get out and dry off a bit."

Justin's view of Brian's backside as he climbs out of the pool is tantalizing. He can see the strength in his thighs and ass as he climbs the ladder. Brian would be a great model for some drawings, but Justin wouldn't even know where to begin to ask him to pose for him. Justin catches himself still looking at Brian, so he quickly averts his gaze and begins to swim away. 

When he resurfaces, Brian is drying off with one of the towels from the guesthouse. Justin watches as Brian drags the towel across his chest and taut abs. Brian looks up and notices the slack-jaw look on Justin's face. He decides to put on a little show for Justin. He 'drops' his towel and has to bend over slowlyï¿½and deeplyï¿½to retrieve it. Brian hears Justin draw in a sharp breath and let out a quiet, "Fuck." Brian can't help but smile. But he still has more up his sleeve. Brian wraps the towel around his waist and walks toward the edge of the pool. Justin is still staring agape at him, but Brian acts as if he doesn't notice. Brian reaches under his towel and removes his Speedo.

Twirling the Speedo around his finger, Brian asks, "Join me in the sauna?" Justin's jaw snaps shut, but makes no move to reply. "Justin?"

"Huh?" Justin looks at him confused.

"Do you want to join me in the sauna?" Brian enunciates every syllable as if Justin is a little slow.

"Umï¿½no, I'm fineï¿½hereï¿½in the pool." Justin does want to join Brian in the sauna, but Brian's strip tease has created an embarrassing problem for him. His cock is unbelievably hard, and it would be too obvious to hide if he got out of the pool.

"OK," Brian says still standing at the edge of the pool. "After I'm done here, I was going to go up to my room and smoke a joint. If you're still here when I get out, you want to help me smoke it?"

"Uh, sure."

"Good, see you later." Brian saunters across the room to the sauna.

Justin jumps out of the pool, grabs his towel and dries off quickly. He wants to be waiting showered and dressed for Brian when he is done in the sauna. He collects all of his things and runs up to his room.

Brian enters the sauna and laughs out loud. He knows exactly why Justin didn't want to get out of that pool. Brian sits down in the sauna and soaks up the heat and steam. All of the muscles in his body begin to unwind and relax. Brian continues to think about the look on Justin's face when he had peeled off his Speedo. He starts to become hard just thinking about the lust in Justin's eyes. He rubs himself through his towel, making himself harder, thinking about Justin's eyes, his lips, his smile. A few minutes later, Brian comes, whispering Justin's name.

His towel now soiled, he balls it up and tosses it to the floor. He pulls on his still soggy Speedo and prepares to leave the sauna. Justin is lounging on a chair in the pool room, waiting for Brian. He jumps up when he hears the sauna door open. Brian sees that he is dressed in blue jeans and a bright blue t-shirt that is very close to his eye color.

"Let me show you how to turn the sauna off," Justin offers. Brian can smell Justin's shampoo as he walks by him to the sauna. Brian follows behind Justin, taking in a deep breath of the strawberry scent.

"You smell good. Just get out of the shower?"

"Yeah," Justin replies self-consciously.

"Strawberry, huh?"

Justin laughs, "Yeah, strawberry. Something wrong with that?"

"No, absolutely not." Brian bursts out laughing.

"Asshole," Justin mutters, smacking Brian playfully on the shoulder. He turns toward the sauna controls again, pretending to ignore Brian's snickering. He presses a few buttons and says, "And that's it."

"Excellent! Let's smoke," Brian says, moving toward his pile of clothes. 

"I'm ready. Lead the way."

Brian slips his feet into his flip flops and gathers his clothes. They turn off all of the lights and re-cover the pool before leaving. The first steps outside are jarringly cold. Brian freezes until his teeth chatter. He clutches his clothes and towel closer to him, and decides to run the rest of the way into the guesthouse. Justin follows a few steps behind him and enjoys another view of Brian's lean legs as he climbs the stairs two at a time.

"Fuck! It's cold!" 

Justin laughs, "You should have wrapped your towel around you, at least."

Brian remembers why he can't do that and feels a little guilty about jerking off earlier to thoughts of Justin. Even though he had spent the afternoon enumerating all of the reasons why he and Justin wouldn't work, he couldn't stop himself from thinking about him. Brian fumbles in the pockets of his shorts for the keys.

Brian heads straight for the bathroom. "I'm going to shower to warm up. I'll be right back. You can go sit on the roof if you want." That last sentence is uttered from the bathroom, the water already running. Brian doesn't even bother to close the door.

"OK." Justin doesn't know what else to do with himself, so he opens up the window and steps out onto the roof. Brian has found a sand-filled bucket to use as an ashtray. It's pretty cozy here actually. The stars seem brighter up here. Justin huddles against the wall and wraps his arms around his legs. It is kind of chilly out here. As Justin is looking around, he notices that he can see directly into his own bedroom. Justin briefly wonders if Brian has seen him from this perch. _Note to self: don't stand in front of your windows naked._

A couple of minutes later, Justin hears the shower turn off. He turns to look into the room, and sees Brian emerge from the bathroom in just a towel. He watches him pull a pair of black jeans, a black wife-beater and a pair of socks out of a drawer. Justin catches a brief glimpse of Brian's bare ass as he pulls the jeans up while still wearing the towel. Brian pulls the towel away and walks to hang it up in the bathroom to dry. 

Brian looks out the window when he comes back out of the bathroom and sees Justin looking in. "Aren't you cold out there?"

"A little. Do you have a sweatshirt or a sweater I could borrow?" Justin asks. 

"Yeah." Brian walks toward another drawer and pulls out a hooded sweatshirt for Justin and a black sweater for himself. 

"Thanks," Justin says, pulling the sweatshirt over his head. It's a little long on his smaller frame, but it's very comfortable. Grateful to be warm again, Justin waits while Brian puts on the socks, t-shirt and sweater.

Justin heads toward the window again and goes back onto the roof. Brian grabs his cigarettes and pot stash and follows Justin. Brian moves the cigarette bucket closer as he sits down on the roof. He takes the rolling papers and his small bag of pot out of his stash box. A few minutes later, he lights the tip of the joint to get it started. Brian reclines onto the roof, props himself up on one elbow and stretches his legs out. Justin lies down about a foot away, removes his shoes and puts his arms behind his head, creating a pillow for his head. The crickets and insects are making a racket tonight, and Justin tries to think of the last time he sat quietly and just listened to the deafening sounds of nature. 

"It's been a long time since I just sat like this, listening to nature." Justin looks up at the stars and the half moon. He takes the proffered joint, takes a hit and passes it back to Brian.

"Mmmm, I love nature. That's why I never really mind sleeping outdoors when I don't have anywhere to stay."

Sensing that Brian is beginning to open up to him, Justin turns onto his side facing Brian. Not wanting to pry, Justin just nods his head, continues to pass the joint and waits for Brian to continue.

"I grew up in Pittsburgh, in the city, so I never really got to enjoy nature like this until I started traveling around the country."

"You never went to camp or anything?" Justin asks.

"No. My family wasï¿½weird. My dad spent most of our money playing cards and drinking at the American Legion bar. We didn't have any extra money for anything like that. Even if he won, he certainly wouldn't have spent it on me." Brian is quiet after that while they continue to smoke. Brian seems to be wrapped up in some childhood nightmare of memories that he has just stirred up.

Justin attempts to change the subject. "So, did you have a good time last night with my friends?"

Brian smiles warmly, "Yeah, they're nice people."

 

"Yeah. Daphne can't stop talking about you."

"Oh, yeah." Brian chuckles softly. "She was really great."

Justin smirks, "She wanted me to ask you if you have a girlfriend."

Brian stares silently at the red tip of the joint. He rolls his lips into his mouth, takes a hit and finally says, "No, I don't. I'm gay."

Justin's heart starts beating wildly in his chest. He goes partially deaf, because he can only hear the swishing of his heartbeat and the rush of blood pumping through his body. "Really?" is all he can squeak out.

"Yeah." Brian finally meets Justin's gaze. Justin looks away embarrassed, but he's not sure why he should be embarrassed since Brian seems to be completely comfortable talking about his sexuality. "How about you, Justin? Do you have a girlfriend?"

Taking a few seconds to take a drag, he decides that it can do no harm now to tell Brian his secret. "Uh, I'm gay too."

"Copycat," Brian jokes. Justin looks up at Brian, a little distressed looking. He sees the huge grin on Brian's face and starts laughing with him.

"Jerk," Justin says in mock indignation. That just sends Brian into another fit of laughter. It's contagious, and Justin can't help laughing too until they're both wiping at their eyes and holding their sides. After their laughing jag, Brian realizes that the joint has gone out. Brian decides not to light it again, so he puts it out completely and saves the roach for later.

 

Brian becomes serious again and asks, "Who else knows?"

 

"Just Daphne and a few of my friends."

"Your friends from last night?"

"Yeah, they all know, but that's about it. I'm dreading telling my parents."

"I've avoided that so far, and I intend to keep it that way." Brian pauses to deposit the roach into his stash box. "They don't give a shit about me as it is. I don't need to give them more ammunition."

Justin reaches out to Brian, moving a piece of hair out of his eyes. He can see a shimmering tear that is threatening to fall. "I'm sorry your childhood was like that. You're a much better person than they are." Justin pokes just a few fingers out of the long sweatshirt sleeve and traces a line down the side of Brian's face to his chin. He can feel the light stubble on his jaw line. He traces the curve of Brian's lower lip with the soft pad of his thumb. 

They both lean forward at the same moment and their lips meet softly. Brian's hand finds its way into Justin's silky hair, and he uses it to pull Justin closer to him. Justin moans slightly and scoots even closer to Brian. Brian pulls away from Justin's lips and begins kissing Justin's face with featherweight kisses. His long fingers are constantly running through Justin's hair. In his heightened state of being stoned, Brian pulls away from the kisses to stare at his hand in Justin's hair. The way the moonlight shines on his golden locks, he would swear that Justin's hair was spun from silk and sunlight.

"So beautiful," Brian mutters.

Justin lets Brian have fun with his hair. He kisses Brian's lips, and then buries his head in the crook of Brian's neck. Brian's neck feels so warm against his cold nose. He nuzzles into Brian's neck and begins kissing and nibbling Brian's neck. Brian moans and closes his eyes. He pulls Justin away from his neck by the hair just hard enough that Justin gasps. Brian can tell by the glittering lust in Justin's eyes that he isn't being too rough. Justin responds to Brian's forceful tug exactly as he hopes. He lunges for Brian's lips and gives his bottom one a sharp and sexy bite. Brian kisses Justin aggressively, and Justin returns it equally.

When they finally pull away from each other, their lips are slightly swollen and wet, and their breaths are ragged and hard.

"Fuck," Brian says, happily surprised by Justin's ferocity. "Where did you learn to kiss like that?"

Justin looks at Brian and his cheeks flush with color. "I dunno. It just felt right."

"I like it," Brian says smiling sexily. "Let's go inside. It's too cold out here." 

He rises from the roof and stands in front of Justin, offering a hand to help him stand. As he's rising to stand, his eyes are drawn to the bulge in Brian's pants. Remembering that Brian isn't wearing underwear, he steps toward Brian and strokes the palm of his hand over the hard length of Brian's cock. He lifts his lips to kiss Brian and continues to stroke Brian through his jeans. He gets bolder as they kiss. He moves his hand under Brian's t-shirt, touching the sensitive flesh above Brian's fly. Justin deftly unbuttons Brian's top button. He snakes his hand in and touches Brian's bare and leaking cock. 

Brian almost loses his balance on the slightly uneven roof. He stills Justin's hands and suggests, "Let's go inside before I fall off this roof." Justin notices the lust and need in Brian's eyes. His voice is all sultry and deep. Justin remembers to grab his shoes before following Brian inside through the window. 

Brian walks quickly around the room, shutting off the large overhead light and turning on some of the smaller lights in the room. He walks to the bed and sits down, leaning back on his elbows. Justin, still standing unmoving in the middle of the room, has started to feel a little nervous and apprehensive, and Brian notices the tension as soon as he looks at him. 

He beckons Justin over to the bed with a low, "C'mere."

Justin walks stiffly to the bed and sits on the very edge, facing forward. Brian stands up and crouches down in front of Justin, resting his hands on Justin's knees to keep his balance. Justin's focuses on him, and Brian can see the fear in his eyes. 

"What's wrong, Justin?" Brian asks, rubbing Justin's knees with the thumbs of each hand.

He hesitates before answering, "I just got really nervous all of a sudden. I'm sorry." Justin looks down at Brian's hands. He reaches out his own hands to cover Brian's.

"I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want to do."

Justin looks up at Brian. "I know. I trust you. I want everything. I want you. I'm just a little afraid of what that means--everything is a lot."

Brian chuckles, "Yeah, it is, especially all in one night."

Justin loosens up a little and laughs with Brian. Justin decides the best way to proceed is to just dive in. He leans forward and nips at Brian's lips. He brings his hands up and pulls Brian into a crushing, passionate kiss. Justin feels Brian's hands travel over his thighs, past his hips and under his t-shirt. Brian's cold hands burn deliciously on his warm skin. Brian breaks the kiss and stands up to remove his sweater, revealing the black wife-beater underneath. Justin remains on the bed, staring up at Brian. Those lust-filled blue eyes seem so eager to please. Justin can see Brian's chest rising and falling quickly. 

Justin rises from the bed to help Brian remove his remaining clothing. He pushes the black t-shirt up slowly over Brian's chest, his hands smoothing over Brian's defined muscles. Justin follows his instincts and begins kissing, licking and nibbling at Brian's exposed torso and neck. 

Brian craves the feeling of Justin's bare skin against his. He pulls away from Justin and tugs at his sweatshirt and t-shirt. Both layers come off all at once in a flourish. Their bodies crash together, arms encircle and roam all over, mouths kissing everywhere. Brian's hands find their way to Justin's ass. He moans against Justin's mouth as he grabs a handful. Justin buries his face in Brian's neck, as Brian continues to grab handfuls of ass.

"Your ass is fucking perfect," he whispers. 

Justin pulls away to mutter, "Thanks."

Brian surprises him by getting down on his knees in front of him. Justin watches from above as Brian unbuttons and unzips his jeans. Brian looks up at Justin intensely, his hazel eyes flashing and glossy. Satisfied that Justin wants him to continue, he pulls down his jeans and helps him step out of them. Justin pushes down his own underwear, and before he can even stand up straight, Brian has his mouth on Justin's cock. Justin's knees nearly buckle with the sudden sensation of Brian lips sucking his cock. Brian brings him off expertly and quickly. He warns Brian that he is about to come, but he continues, swallowing his load. 

When Justin opens his eyes, Brian is standing in front of him with a smirk on his face. "That was so hot, Brian."

Brian doesn't say anything. He just leans in and kisses Justin slowly and thoroughly. Justin can still taste the faint taste of his own cum on Brian's tongue. Justin is eager to use all of Brian's techniques that he just learned. 

He pulls Brian to the bed. "Take off your pants and lie down." Brian arches an eyebrow, but does as he's asked. Justin watches Brian settle himself onto the bed, and Justin eyes journey over Brian's nude body, finally settling on his large cock. Justin licks his lips and crawls between Brian's legs. He begins by licking up his shaft and across the head. He feels Brian shifting on the bed, so he pulls away and looks up.

"Just getting a better view," Brian explains.

Justin grins and lowers his head and takes Brian's cock in his mouth. He's given head to one other person before, but he was definitely not as big as Brian is. With a little difficulty, Justin finds a comfortable pace. Each time he pulls away, he tries to take more of Brian into his mouth. Finally, he is able to pull almost the entire length in. He swirls his tongue over Brian's head, pulls in a few more inches, and swallows around the head. Justin can feel Brian's cock begin to pulsate, and he knows that Brian is close. 

"I'm gonna come." Justin keeps up his pace, and swallows his cum just as Brian had done. It doesn't taste bad at all. He kind of likes the taste, actually. 

Justin crawls over Brian's legs and curls into Brian's chest. He lays his head on Brian's warm chest. He can still feel Brian's labored breathing, and as he presses his ear to his chest, he can hear his heart thumping away. Brian's fingers immediately wind their way into Justin's hair.

"Was that OK?" Justin asks not looking at Brian.

"Better than OK." Justin raises his head at that.

"Really?"

"Yeah, that might have been the best I've ever had."

Justin frowns, "You don't need to lie to make me feel good, you know."

"I'm not lying. It was really good."

Pleased with Brian's compliment, Justin rests his head on Brian's chest again. "Good."

Brian kisses the top of his head. Justin props himself up on one elbow and smiles down at Brian. "What's up?" Brian asks.

"I think that's it for tonight."

"OK. Whatever you're comfortable with."

"I do want more, but it's late. Maybe we can do this again," Justin says hopefully. 

"Absolutely."

Justin's pale skin positively glows in the dim room's light, as he wanders around the room collecting his clothes. Brian watches from the bed as Justin puts his clothes back on. Justin approaches Brian with the sweatshirt. "Thanks for letting me use this."

"Take it with you. I'm sure itï¿½s still cold out there."

Justin smiles and puts the sweatshirt on. Brian slips into his jeans and walks Justin to the door. They kiss softly at the door for a few moments.

"Later," Brian says, pulling away slightly.

"Later." Justin gives him a final kiss and walks out the door.

Brian watches Justin enter the house from the front window. _I hope that wasn't a mistake._

Justin leans against the closed door, pulls the sweatshirt up to his face and inhales the scent of hisï¿½ _lover?_ Justin isn't sure what to call him-- _fucking beautiful!_


	6. Chapter Six

  
Author's notes: In this chapter, Brian and Justin spend a lot of time trying to connect with each other in the middle of their busy lives. Chris Hobbs makes an appearance.  


* * *

* * *

The Drifter -- Chapter Six

Daphne's high-pitched voice threatens to deafen Justin as she asks question after question without even pausing to allow him to answer. It's still early morning, and Justin hasn't even gotten out of bed to take a shower and get ready for school yet. He pulls his covers up and reclines, waiting for Daphne's steady interrogation to end. 

"Was it good? What did you guys do? So is he your boyfriend now? Does he have a great body?"

Justin sneaks a few words in as Daphne takes a quick breath. "It was amazing. Well, we kissed and stuff."

"And stuff! C'mon, I need more details than that."

"I'm getting there! I just…this was…it wasn't just sex. I like him a lot, Daph."

"All right…I'm sorry. Continue your story."

"Actually, we both have to get ready for school. I'll tell you the rest on the way to school."

"Oh, man!" Daphne whines. "I can't wait that long."

"Sure you can. Bye." Justin hangs up the phone without giving Daphne any time to respond, and trots into the bathroom to get ready.

Thirty minutes later, Daphne straps herself into the Mercedes and proceeds with the inquisition. Justin recounts some of the finer moments of his evening with Brian, leaving out the more gratuitous details.

"I'm so proud of you, Justin. You kind of made the first move!"

Justin shrugs as he pulls the car into a parking space, "Yeah, I guess I did."

"So did you see him this morning?"

"No. It was only seven when I left. I don't think he gets up that early. He was probably still sleeping." Justin sighs, letting his mind drift back to all of the sensations--Brian's skin, his hot breath, his molded muscles. "And I have to work until nine o'clock tonight. I might not see him at all."

+++++

Justin's shift at Barnes & Noble feels as if it will never end. He tries to make time pass by reading some books in the sexuality section. How to Please Your Man, The Joy of Gay Sex, and a few others contain bits of information that might prove useful. By eight o'clock, he has to scramble to make the section presentable, since he has spent most of his time daydreaming about using some of the more imaginative ideas from the books on Brian. 

The time clock ticks away the last few seconds to nine o'clock, and Justin streaks out of the front door moments later, giving his manager a quick wave. Besides wanting to see Brian, he also wants to get home, so he can get his homework done by a reasonable time tonight. 

Justin swings the Mercedes into the driveway and parks. He's disappointed that he can't see any lights on in the guesthouse. He collects his bag and exits the car. He smells something familiar in the air--marijuana smoke. He looks toward the guesthouse roof and sees the glowing ember of a joint. 

He walks closer to the guesthouse and whispers in the general direction of the ember. "Hey, what's up?"

"Nothing," is the only reply. Justin hears an exhale, and then, "Want to help me finish this?"

"I can't. I have homework to do. I don't smoke during the week." Justin falters, fearing that he is ruining his chances to see Brian tonight. "I can come up for a few minutes, though."

A pause and another exhale, "OK. Door's open."

Justin climbs the stairs quickly, opens the door and plops his bag on the floor. Brian pokes his shadowed head in through the open window.

"Could you bring me a beer? And grab yourself something to drink if you want." Brian says quietly.

Justin changes direction and swivels toward the opposite direction, pulling a beer and a can of Coca-Cola from the small fridge. He climbs through the window awkwardly holding out the two drinks. 

"Thanks," Brian's shadow says. 

It's a dark night, and Justin's eyes have not adjusted to the darkness yet. He can only see Brian's outstretched hand reaching for the beer and his shining, stoned eyes in the dark. Justin hands the beer to Brian, and sits down heavily on the roof, sighing and waiting for his eyesight to focus. 

"Rough day?" Brian asks.

"No, it was OK. I'm just tired. How about you?"

"I got a lot of work done. You should see the backyard."

"I can't see a fucking thing; it's pitch black! I can barely see you."

Brian sits up and flicks his lighter, so it illuminates his features. "See me now?"

"Yeah," Justin laughs nervously. 

Brian crawls the few feet to Justin on his hands and knees. He lights his lighter when he reaches Justin's side, and their faces both glow in the flickering flame. Brian's smiling widely as he dives for Justin's strawberry lips. Justin's lips are glistening when Brian pulls away from the kiss. "I've been thinking about your lips all day," Brian admits as his fingertip absent-mindedly brushes over his lower lip.

Relieved that Brian doesn't seem to regret anything, Justin starts to relax. If anything, Brian seems prepared for another night of sexual exploration. Justin sighs contentedly and leans his forehead on Brian's shoulder. It's a cool night, so Justin curls into Brian's neck, kisses him lightly and shields his face from the cold breeze blowing. 

"I've been thinking about you all day too," Justin breathes into Brian's ear.

Brian retreats from their embrace to retrieve his beer from the roof. Justin's eyes, having finally adjusted to the darkness, watch Brian carefully. In the dim light, Brian's tanned skin looks deep blue with lighter blue highlights created by the crisp angles of his cheekbones and the sensual curves of his lips. Brian raises the amber bottle to his lips and takes a healthy swig. The color combination gives Justin some ideas for his final art project.

"Would you model for me sometime?"

"Anytime. How much does it pay?"

Justin racks his brain for a fair price, before he notices that Brian is leering at him suggestively. "I'm sure I could think of some way to repay you," Justin says smiling.

"I hope so." Brian takes another gulp of his beer. "I'd love to start a repayment process tonight, but you said something about homework earlier." 

Justin sighs heavily. "Yeah. I have to go."

Justin rises from the roof, picks up his unopened soda, and follows Brian into the guesthouse. He puts the soda back in the refrigerator, picks up his bag, and turns in the direction of the door. Brian is waiting there, watching Justin cross the room. Their eyes don't leave each other as Justin comes closer and closer. Justin reaches Brian, raises up almost on his tiptoes to reach, and kisses Brian softly. 

"Later…" Brian says.

"Later," Justin replies, grinning ear-to-ear.

Brian leans against the door, listening to Justin's quick footsteps recede down the stairs. Sighing loudly, his hand brushes across his slight erection. Brian had been looking forward to seeing Justin all day. He was hoping to spend some time with him, but he understood the stresses of school. It wasn't so long ago that Brian was going through his own education-induced anxieties when he was preparing his last paper for his final English lit class. 

Brian had been using this time after college to save up for grad school, but now he's not so sure he wants that. He had quickly found that no one was hiring an English lit graduate, so he had started using the landscaping and carpentry knowledge that he had gained during his teens to make some easy money. Brian had actually been giving a lot of thought to a career in advertising, since he had enjoyed those classes at UPENN so much. It would definitely be a more lucrative career than English lit. His few options within the English lit field were academically stimulating, which he craved, but, at the same time, they were financially bleak. He had grown up in poverty, and didn't relish the thought of living in that manner for the rest of his life. He wanted to make something of himself, so he could go back to Pittsburgh and shove it in his parents' faces.

Brian sighs deeply, pushes away from the door and heads to the roof to finish his beer and smoke another cigarette. As he lights up, his eye is caught by Justin's illuminated window. Justin is just walking into the room. Brian watches as he throws his bag onto his bed, lays down his cell phone and wallet on his desk, and stares into his mirror for a bit. Brian can make out a smile curling slowly across Justin's face. It is then that Brian realizes that his own smile is breaking across his usually serious countenance. _I better not fuck this up,_ Brian says to himself. Never having had something this important to fuck up, Brian then begins to wonder if he knows how to _not_ fuck it up.

+++++

The next few days are a twisting whirl of activity for both Brian and Justin. Brian is spending a lot of time in the gardens around the pool, planning and planting furiously, trying to recreate what he can visualize in his mind. Justin's time is carefully divided between school, work and family. Brian only catches small glimpses of Justin hard at work on various school projects through his open window shade. And Justin only sees Brian during one shared meal with his parents close by. They both steal small glances at each other during dinner, but neither has the time to spare for the true intimacy that each craves with the other.

Finally, on Friday night, Justin comes home from school in the afternoon and finds Brian hard at work in the backyard. He stands quietly, not wanting to disturb Brian's concentration, as he watches his muscles flex with the labor. Brian turns around to retrieve a gardening tool and catches sight of Justin.

A dazzling smile escapes when he catches sight of Justin. "Hey, Justin."

"Hey, Brian. How's it going?"

"Good. Do you like what I've done with the place?"

Justin takes a moment to look around the yard at the new bushes, colorful plants, and neatly trimmed grass. "It's gorgeous!"

Brian walks toward Justin as he continues to look around at Brian's handiwork. "Gorgeous, huh?"

Justin meets Brian's eyes, as he realizes Brian's double meaning. He furtively darts his eyes toward the main house. "Is my mom home?"

"Uh, yeah," Brian replies as he takes half a step away from Justin. "She was just out here a minute ago to check on things."

"I wish I could kiss you right now," Justin mutters intensely.

"Mmmm," Brian nearly moans. "What are you doing tonight?"

"Daphne mentioned that she wanted to have a movie night, maybe. Are you interested?"

"You'll be there, right?"

"Uh, yeah. That's kind of the idea," Justin laughs.

"Yeah, that'd be fun. What time?"

"I was thinking about going to the diner for dinner at about six, and then leaving for Daphne's from there. Is that OK?"

Brian calculates the time it will take him to get ready and agrees. As long as he picks up his tools by four, he'll have time to get ready and relax a bit before they head out. Justin disappears into the house, and Brian is left tending to his new gardens for a few more hours.

+++++

At a quarter to six, Brian is sitting, reading his battered copy of Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, and leisurely drinking a cold beer. As he pauses his reading to take a sip, he hears Justin climbing the stairs. Brian waves Justin inside before he can knock. 

"Hey, what's up?"

"Not much," Justin replies. "You ready, or am I too early."

"Nope, I'm just about ready. Just have to finish this beer."

"OK." Justin glances at the book in Brian's hands. "What're you reading?" he asks.

"Brave New World. Aldous Huxley," he replies, holding up the cover of the book.

"Oh, yeah. I read that for school."

"Did you like it?"

"Yeah," Justin answers. "I did. They made us read a lot of crap, but that was a good one."

Brian laughs, because after four years in college studying English lit, he knew every overrated piece of literary dog shit intimately. "I know exactly what you mean, unfortunately."

Justin blushes, remembering that Brian was an English lit major. "I'm sure you do. What do you think was the worst book you had to read for school?"

Brian contemplates for a moment. "I don't know; there have been so many. I'll have to get back to you on the absolute worst." Brian rises from his comfortable chair and moves closer to Justin with an intense look in his eye. "You know what's the worst?"

"What?"

"It's been two days since I have been able to kiss you," Brian responds, moving closer and closer.

Justin tilts his head up, raising his lips toward Brian's. "We'll just have to fix that," his soft breath whispers against Brian's lips. Their breaths mingle, and soon their lips follow suit. 

Ten minutes later, it takes all of their willpower to separate. Brian has been looking forward to getting out of the house all week, because his lack of transportation has left him somewhat trapped in the Taylor compound. Justin's soft lips make a good argument for staying home, though. 

"OK," Brian announces, pulling himself away from Justin's arms. "Let's go, or we won't get out of here." He collects his keys, wallet and watch, and pulls Justin out the door.

+++++

Justin and Brian request a seat in Ida's section when they get to the diner. They quickly order and settle into an easy conversation. Halfway through their meal, Brian notices a table about ten feet away that is full of high school aged boys. One boy in particular keeps pointing and laughing in the direction of their table. 

"Do you know that kid over there?" Brian finally asks. 

Justin turns around and glances at Chris Hobbs. Grimacing, Justin admits to knowing Chris. "Yeah, he's an asshole. Just ignore him."

"I don't think I can. He keeps laughing and looking over here." Brian has been having trouble enjoying his meal, since he began to notice the boy's obnoxiousness. 

"I didn't even know he was here. I think I have finally mastered the art of tuning out his voice. I've been hearing it for so many years; I just started to not hear it."

Brian had had his share of idiots making fun of him in high school, but by his junior year, he had started playing sports. His talents in soccer had made the upperclassmen give him some respect and leave him with some dignity in his junior and senior years. The effects of their taunting had never fully left him, though, and he was certainly sympathetic to Justin's troubles.

"OK," Brian smiles. "If it's not bothering you, I will try to ignore it."

"Agreed." Justin manages to keep Brian's mind off of Chris Hobbs during the rest of their meal, until Chris comes up to their table.

"Hey, Taylor. Who's your new boyfriend?" Justin attempts to ignore Chris, and Brian follows his lead. "I'm fucking talking to you, faggot!"

Brian turns his head slowly toward Hobbs. "I suggest that you leave us alone," he says, aiming a cold-as-ice stare at Hobbs.

"Or what?" Hobbs goads. 

Brian rises from his seat, and uses his height to intimidate Hobbs, who is at least four inches shorter than he. He leans over Hobbs, an inch from his face. "Or I will cut off your balls and feed them to you," he says menacingly. 

Hobbs looks a little bit scared now. Before he can produce any feigned bravado, Ida appears. She rests a hand on Brian's shoulder to keep him calm. "Chris Hobbs," she says. "Why don't you go sit down, before this gentleman is forced to make a fool out of you?" Chris stays there for moment, glowering at Brian. "Go sit down!" she says more forcefully.

After Hobbs goes back to his table, Brian sits back down and glances at Justin. He can see Justin's hands shaking and tears welling up in his eyes. Brian asks Ida for the check, so they can leave. Ida just shoos them away. "Make it up to me next time you come in. I'll take care of the check. You take care of Justin."

"Thank you, Ida," he leans to kiss her on the cheek, before quickly leading Justin out the door and to the car.

When they get to the car, he reaches into Justin's shirt pocket to get the keys, because Justin is too upset. "Do you want me to drive?"

"Sure," Justin replies barely above a whisper.

Brian opens the door for Justin, gets in the driver's seat, and drives away. "God!" Brian shouts and pounds on the steering wheel. "What a fucking asshole!" He slams the wheel once again, and then turns just in time to see Justin visibly flinch. Brian makes a concerted effort to calm himself down, because he can tell that Justin is disturbed by his outbursts. Brian has to pull the car to the side of the road when he turns his head to glance at Justin and sees a tear slide down his face.

"I'm sorry, Brian." Justin's face crumples and he begins to cry.

"What are you sorry for?" Brian pulls Justin to him and holds him as he cries. "You have nothing to be sorry for," he whispers encouragingly in Justin's ear. "I should be the one apologizing. I shouldn't have let that kid get to me."

After a few minutes, Justin calms down. "I'm just so sick of him. He's been tormenting me since middle school, and I know he's never going to stop."

Brian's heart breaks listening to Justin sound so defeated. "You'll make it, Justin." He pulls Justin toward him again. "Soon you'll be graduating, and then you'll move on--go to college. It's only…not even two months. You're almost there. I just hope I didn't make it any worse for you by standing up to him." 

"No, you're right. It'll be fine." 

Brian looks into Justin's eyes. "You tell me if he fucks with you. OK?" Justin nods his head. "OK?!"

"Yeah, yeah. I'll tell you."

"Good. Now, are you ready?"

Justin groans at the thought of any more drama. "Yeah, I guess."

Brian drives away from the side of the road and laces his fingers with Justin's. Justin relaxes against the seat and just enjoys the sensation of his hand in Brian's.


	7. Chapter Seven

The Drifter--Chapter Seven

As soon as Justin walks in, Daphne knows that something is wrong. She quickly pries him from Brian's arm, brings him into the kitchen, and begins to squeeze the truth out of him. 

"It was Chris Hobbs, as usual."

"I knew it!" Daphne exclaims, obviously heated. "When is he just going to leave us alone?"

"Hopefully soon. Brian seemed to scare him, but I don't know for how long. Probably about five seconds!" Justin angrily brushes back his long bangs and sighs loudly.

Daphne puts a reassuring hand on Justin's shoulder. "We'll be alright. We've gotten through this shit before. We'll do it again."

Justin moves closer to Daphne and gives her a hug. "Thanks, Daph."

"Of course. What are friends for?" she answers, grinning. "So what did Brian say to Hobbs?"

"He told him that he would cut off his nuts and feed them to him."

"O, my God! That must have been great to see! I wish I had seen the look on his face."

"I don't know. I was so scared; I couldn't even look at him." 

"It'll be alright, Justin. Let's get you back to your gorgeous man!"

Brian is still standing in the hallway, hands in his pockets, when Justin and Daphne come out of the kitchen. "Hey," he says to Justin, the concern on his face apparent. 

"I'm OK, Brian." He leans in and kisses Brian's cheek, whispering in his ear. "Really. I'm much stronger than I appear." When he flashes him a brilliant smile, Brian knows that just talking with Daphne must have made him feel better about his brush with Chris Hobbs. 

Justin quickly takes his hand and pulls him toward the living room. The same friends from the other night are sitting in almost the same positions. Brian waves and smiles at the friends that he already knows. Justin brings him over to a few new people who are sitting in a group on the floor.

"Hey, guys. This is my friend, Brian." A chorus of smiles, waves and ogling looks are directed Brian's way. "Brian, this is Beth, Lucas and Scott."

"Hi," Brian says and shakes all of their hands. He then goes over to Tim, Sophia, Jaime, and Brad, whom he had met a few nights ago, and says hello to each by name.

"I'm impressed," Sophia says. "He remembered all of our names."

"Yeah, and he was stoned too! Very impressive." Tim immediately hands Brian a joint to smoke. 

"You're such a pusher," Brian says to Tim.

"Well, if you don't want it..." he says tugging it away.

"Oh, I didn't say that..." Brian takes two puffs and passes it to Justin. He leads Justin to the unoccupied, oversized chair. Brian sits in the chair first and then pulls Justin into his lap. "Is this OK?" he whispers into Justin's ear.

"Yeah," Justin says happily. "I haven't officially come out to Lucas and Beth, but I don't think it's a surprise either."

"Good, because I wasn't going to let you get up anyway," Brian whispers seductively.

"Oh, really?"

"Mmmm," Brian hums into his ear. Brian's lips nip at his ear, his tongue pokes out and carries on down Justin's neck, licking and kissing him gently. "I wish we were home," Brian says against his neck. "Alone. Just you and me in my bed, naked."

"O, God," Justin almost whimpers. 

"Ahem!" Tim is standing over them, smiling and holding the joint. "It's your hit, Brian." Brian takes the joint from Tim, and Tim walks back to the couch. Brian takes another two puffs and hands it to Justin.

Justin gets up to bring the smoldering joint to Daphne. "You guys are sooo cute together!"

Justin sighs exaggeratedly, rolling his eyes. "You're such a girl!" 

Daphne punches him lightly on the shoulder. "Shut up!" She smiles, takes her hit and passes it to Scott. "I'm serious, though. You are really sweet together."

"Thanks. I feel good about him." Justin looks down shyly. "I like being close to him. When he touches me...I just feel like I'm on fire. Hot and cold at the same time." Justin glances at Daphne.

"You've got it bad, Taylor." She tousles his silky hair and gives him a quick hug. "I'm happy for you. You deserve it." She gives him a little push toward Brian. "Go back to him."

Justin settles himself into Brian's lap. "What was that all about?"

"Daphne says we're 'cute'," Justin explains shrugging.

"Oh, God. She is such a girl."

"That's exactly what I told her." 

"All right, everybody!" Daphne announces loudly. "We're about to start the movie. Does everyone have their munchies?" Everyone nods their heads. "OK, let's begin."

Bright red, lips appear on the screen, and Brian knows immediately what movie they're watching: The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Brian likes the movie; he has seen it a few times, and even went once to the small movie theater in Pittsburgh to see it on the big screen back when there were weekly, midnight showings. "Have you seen this before?" Brian asks.

"No," Justin answers worrying his bottom lip. "What is it?"

"Heh heh, you'll see. It's a really great movie. I think you'll like it. It was originally a play-very dramatic."

"Ohhh, Tim Curry! Barry Bostwick? Isn't he that old guy from Spin City-the mayor?"

"Yeah, it's him, but much younger."

Justin and Brian settle into a comfortable silence, as Justin sits in rapt attention. Brian feels himself starting to get drowsy and nod off. Working all day has drained his energy. A nap will probably make him more awake later. _Mmmm, later..._ Brian thinks about finally having Justin to himself again as he quietly drifts into a shallow sleep. 

Justin feels Brian drift off and start to breathe evenly. He knows what a hard day it must have been for him. All of that gardening and digging is physically draining, he is sure. And he had done so much that day. The gardens had never looked that nice. His mother loves to garden, but a lot of the heavy labor she is unable to do by herself. Meeting Brian in that diner has been fortuitous for a few reasons. Justin glances at Brian's peaceful face, and he can't help himself. He leans and kisses him lightly on the nose. He doesn't wake. _Good,_ Justin thinks. _He'll need his strength later._

Justin shifts his attention back to the movie. Brian is right; it is a really good film. All about free love, and being true to whomever you are--a relevant message for every generation. No wonder why this film has endured since the 70's. The socio-political commentary aside, it is also a rather randy film. Justin finds himself turned on by Dr. Frank-N-Furter and Brad too. 

Justin becomes so involved in the characters that he begins tearing up as Riff Raff continues to shoot Frank-N-Furter. It's sad, but Earth just wasn't ready for Frank. Justin, always the empathizer, sees both sides. Riff Raff is much like Chris Hobbs: they both don't want to see things change, even if they are for the better. They both feel that they have to destroy everything foreign to them; they are both afraid of what they don't understand and cannot control. Control is really the key. _I can't let Chris Hobbs paralyze and control me into living in fear._

Coming to this conclusion eases Justin's mind. His mind feels more clear than it has been in years. These new ideas crystallize and form fresh and amazing possibilities. Let Chris Hobbs own all the fear, keep none in his own heart, and simply live his life. It just might work. Only possibilities are visible. A whole new way of thinking-- _a fucking revolution right in my own head!_

Brian wakes to the brightest smile he's ever seen. "I take it you enjoyed the movie, Sunshine?"

"I did! Fucking amazing! Why have I not seen this movie before?" Without giving anyone time to answer his question, Justin babbles on. "I guess each person has to discover it all on their own." Justin looks at Brian's bewildered and still sleepy gaze. "Sorry, I probably sound crazy, but this movie...it just...it's revolutionary! That sounds fanatical, but whatever."

"Don't apologize for being excited. Rocky Horror did that for me, too." Brian pulls Justin to him and speaks quietly, so only Justin can hear. "I saw it when I was fourteen. I saw it and I _knew_. I knew I was gay. I admitted it fully to myself for the first time after seeing that movie, so...I understand, Justin." Brian sneaks a quick kiss on Justin's cheek.

Justin brings Brian's lips to his in a blistering kiss. Justin's face is on fire, excited. His lips burn with their intense heat. Justin and Brian are in their own world, only vaguely hearing their slightly embarrassed friends shuffling out of the room. After a heated moment or two, Justin whispers into Brian's ear, "Let's go."

Without a word, Brian drags Justin toward the front door. "Wait! I have to say goodbye to everybody!" Brian slows but doesn't stop completely. "At least to Daphne." 

That stops him. "OK, hurry."

Justin says good night to his friends as quickly as he can as Brian simmers in the corner of the kitchen. "Sorry, everybody! We're gonna go." Everyone waves and says their goodbyes. 

Daphne walks up to Justin, puts her hands on Justin's chest and gently starts pushing him toward Brian and closer to the door. "Get the fuck out of here! Have a great night," she adds winking.

"I will!"

Justin drives a little too quickly on the way home, and Brian cautions him to slow down. "I just don't want to wait."

"I know, but we'll get there. And I'd rather it was in one piece if you don't mind."

Justin laughs and slows down. Brian is right, and they do eventually get home. They are chatting, laughing and holding hands as they take the stairs to Brian's room two at a time.

+++++

Jennifer is finding it hard to sleep tonight. She is looking out the window into the starry night, feeling the cooler night air blow from the North. She hears the Mercedes pull into the driveway and park. Justin and Brian are laughing and talking loudly. Jennifer can't hear exactly what they're saying, but she can see them get out of the car. She watches as Brian meets Justin and puts his arm around Justin's shoulder, his fingers entwined in Justin's long hair. Confused for a minute, Jennifer stands to get a better view. She isn't sure what she's seeing. Justin and Brian running hand in hand up the garage stairs, stopping at the top of the stairs to kiss, opening the door and disappearing from her sight. Her worse fears seem to be confirmed. She had always thought, but had hoped not...

_Justin is...gay. My son is gay..._

  



End file.
